How to calculate your GPA

How to calculate your GPA on a 4.0 scale

If you have semester hours and quarter hours

If some of your credits are semester hours and some are quarter hours, you must convert all relevant grades to either semester hours or to quarter hours. We recommend that you pick the transcript(s) with the least amount of hours and convert it to the other. For example, if your transcript with the least amount of hours is in quarter hours, convert this transcript to semester hours.

To convert semester hours to quarter hours, multiply each semester hour by 1.5.

To convert quarter hours to semester hours, multiply each quarter hour by 0.67.

If numerical grades or equivalents are provided on your transcript, convert them by multiplying by the same factors.

If you've failed courses

If you failed a freshman- or sophomore level course and passed it at a later date, include the grade for the passed class only. If you failed and never repeated the class, the failed course must be included when calculating your grade point average.

If you failed a junior- or senior level course and repeated the course with a passing grade, include both the passing and failing grade in your grade point average calculation.

Grade point average

You will be entering up to three of the following grade point averages:

Undergraduate average (to be completed by everyone)

Junior/Senior average (calculate this average only if your degree is from a four-year or more degree program)

Graduate average

Undergraduate average

If all your undergraduate coursework is from one institution and your transcript or education documents show a grade point average, enter the average in the appropriate undergraduate average area of the application form.

If you attended more than one institution for your undergraduate degree, calculate your undergraduate average using coursework from all attended institutions.

If you have more than one undergraduate degree, include coursework from all bachelor's degrees to calculate your undergraduate average.

Junior/Senior average

If your degree is from a U.S. institution, use the last 60 semester hours or last 90 quarter hours prior to receiving your bachelor's degree to calculate your junior/senior average. If you attended more than one institution, include coursework from all institutions.

If you have more than one U.S. bachelor's degree, use the credit hours from your first degree only to calculate your junior/senior average.

If your degree is not from an institution in the U.S., use the last two years of undergraduate coursework to compute your junior/senior average.

Graduate average

Calculate this average using all graduate-level coursework taken since receiving your bachelor's degree. U.S. junior or community college coursework is not considered graduate-level work and should not be included.

Grading scale calculations

4.0 scale that uses credit hours

Multiply each grade by the number of credit hours for that course. Total the credit hours and grade points.

Course

Grade

Credit hours

Grade points

MGT 402

A = 4

x 3

= 12

BUS 415

B = 3

x 4

= 12

CIS 419

A = 4

x 4

= 16

ABC 123

C = 2

x 3

= 6

Totals

14

46

Divide the total grade points by the total credit hours: 46 divided by 14 = 3.29 GPA

4.0 scale that does not use credit hours

Course

Grade

Grade points

MGT 402

A = 4

= 4

BUS 415

B = 3

= 3

CIS 419

A = 4

= 4

ABC 123

C = 2

= 2

Totals

13

Count the number of courses. In this example, the number of courses is 4. Divide the total grade points by the number of courses. In this example, 13 divided by 4 = 3.25 GPA.

Letter grades with no numeric equivalents given by an institution

Most institutions provide numeric equivalents to convert letter grades to a numeric value. Please refer to your institution's documents to determine the appropriate equivalents when calculating your grade point average.

If your institution does not provide numeric equivalents, please use the following conversion:

A = 4.00 B = 3.00 C = 2.00 D = 1.00 F = 0

After converting your letter grades to their numeric equivalents, follow the directions above to calculate your grade point average.

How to calculate your GPA on a non-4.0 scale

Know the grading scale for your school

Most international institutions use a 100-point, 10-point or percentage system. Most U.S. institutions use the 4-point system. Do not convert your school’s system. Use the scale your school uses on your transcripts.

100 percent (100 point) system

10 Point System

Five-year program

100 percent (100 point) system

Undergraduate grade/mark average (GPA)

In the 100 percent (100 point) system, the undergraduate GPA is determined by adding all earned marks for all semesters, dividing that number by the total number of points possible and multiplying by 100.

Junior/Senior (third/fourth year) grade/mark average (GPA)

To determine the junior/senior (third/fourth year) GPA on the 100 point scale, add all the points earned in the third and fourth years, divide by the total possible points in those years and multiply by 100.

10 point system

Undergraduate grade/mark average (GPA)

In a 10 point system, the undergraduate GPA is based on all coursework completed for your bachelor's degree, representing your overall average. Generally, the undergraduate GPA appears on the transcript.

Junior/Senior (third/fourth year) grade/mark average (GPA)

To determine the junior/senior (third/fourth year) average, add the semester GPAs for semesters 5, 6, 7 and 8, and divide the total by 4.

Five-Year program

If your degree required five years of coursework for completion, use the total credits from all five years to determine your undergraduate GPA. The junior/senior GPA is determined by using the fourth and fifth years, instead of the third and fourth years.

Frequently asked questions about calculating a graduate GPA

What is a four-point GPA system?

The four-point grade point average scale is a method of assigning a numerical value to represent a letter grade. On the four-point scale, a 4.00 represents an “A,” 3.00 represents a “B,” 2.00 represents a “C” and 1.00 represents a “D.”

What is a junior/senior GPA?

Your junior/senior grade point average, or GPA, is the combined GPA of the last two years of your undergraduate studies — your junior and senior years. You can calculate your junior/senior GPA by using the last 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours prior to receiving your bachelor’s degree. If you hold two bachelor’s degrees, use the credit hours from your first degree to calculate your junior/senior GPA. If your degree is not from a U.S. institution, use the last two years of your undergraduate coursework to calculate it.

What does cumulative GPA mean?

To understand what a cumulative GPA is, you first have to understand what a semester GPA is. Your semester GPA, or grade point average, is the average of all grades you earned in a particular semester. Your cumulative GPA is an average of all your semester GPAs. In other words, it’s the average grade for all the courses you’ve ever taken in college.